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• » 31 Mar 1945

• German forces began withdrawing from the Netherlands. ww2dbase [TH]
• Soviet troops captured Ratibor and Katscher, Germany (now Raciborz and Kietrz, Poland). ww2dbase [Silesian Offensive and the Siege of Breslau | CPC]
• 50 Japanese Army Renraku-tei special attack boats sank American landing ship LSM-12 at Okinawa, Japan. ww2dbase [Renraku-tei-class | CPC]
• Otto Skorzeny was ordered to go to the "Alpine Fortress". ww2dbase [Otto Skorzeny | CPC]
• Soviet forces crossed into the Germany border from Sopron, Hungary. ww2dbase [TH]
• As the troops of the French First Army crossed the Rhine River near Speyer, Germany, they became the first French troops to attack across the river since Napoleon Bonaparte. Meanwhile, US Third Army reached Siegen, Germany. ww2dbase [Crossing the Rhine | TH]
• Allied commander Eisenhower demanded German surrender over radio. ww2dbase [Dwight Eisenhower | CPC]
• USS Tirante sank a Japanese sail with gunfire. ww2dbase [Tirante | CPC]

• On Heinrich Himmler's orders, men led by SS-Sturmbannführer Heinz Macher attempted to use tank mines to demolish the SS castle of Schloß Wewelsburg in Büren, Germany. The attempt only damaged the southeast tower, while the rest of the castle, was damaged by fires. The 9,000 SS Ehrenring (SS Honor Rings) stored at the castle were taken away by Macher and were buried at a secret location in nearby woods. ww2dbase [Schloß Wewelsburg | Büren, Westfalen-Nord | CPC]

• USS Sunfish departed Apra, Guam, Mariana Islands for her eleventh war patrol. ww2dbase [Sunfish (Gato-class) | Apra | CPC]

• USS Cero departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her seventh war patrol. ww2dbase [Cero | Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Pearl Harbor, Oahu | CPC]

• Light carrier Ryuho's anti-aircraft weapons fired on attacking US aircraft at Kure, Japan. ww2dbase [Ryuho | Kure, Hiroshima | CPC]
• USS Yorktown (Essex-class) pounded Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands and its surrounding islets in softening-up strikes. ww2dbase [Okinawa Campaign | Yorktown (Essex-class) | Okinawa | DS]

• U-1233 departed Kristiansand, Vest-Agder, Norway. ww2dbase [U-1233 | Kristiansand, Vest-Agder | CPC]

• USS Spot, misidentified as a hostile submarine, was attacked by American destroyer USS Case; USS Spot did not suffer any damage by the two salvos fired. ww2dbase [Spot | CPC]
• In the Philippine Sea, Japanese submarine I-361 with its deck loaded with five Kaitens was spotted on the surface by US Navy Lt(jg) Sam Stovall flying a TBM-3E Avenger from USS Anzio. The Avenger released a Mark 24 FIDO acoustic homing torpedo and I-361 was lost with all 76 hands plus the five Kaiten pilots. ww2dbase [TBF Avenger | Anzio | Kaiten-class | Mark XXIV | Philippine Sea | DS]

• Garland completed her refitting at Devonport, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Garland | Devonport, England | CPC]

31 Mar 1945 Interactive Map